“Ignorance is Chris,” on top of having the best title in Peacemaker, was filled with great reveals, bits, and twists. The main plot of this episode follows the main characters setting up a portal in Vigilante’s drug, money, and Beanie Baby-filled basement. After successfully finding the alternate dimension, they split up, with Harcourt going with alternate Kieth, Vigilante finding his alternate self, and Adebayo and Economos stuck in the house. From there, Peacemaker’s peaceful life with alternate Harcourt is interrupted when he runs into the actual Harcourt. Adebyao and Economos clean up after Eagly and bicker until Adebayo takes a walk. In the main universe, Rick Flag Sr. makes a deal with Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, putting them in reluctant allegiance. In the final minutes of the episode, the two Harcourts meet, Peacemaker’s father stabs Economos, revealing the truth, and Vigilante finds out that his alternate self hates Peacemaker and is part of the Sons of Liberty. Most importantly, Peacemaker discovers that he has been living in (and loving) a white supremacist dimension. The episode concludes with an insane sequence where Adebayo is chased by a racist mob.
“Ignorance is Chris” was a great, crowd-pleasing episode of Peacemaker, being full of funny bits, exciting twists, and scenes that blended both. For example, Peacemaker discovering the truth about the dimension worked very well for his character growth and titular ignorance. On top of that, the fact that Harcourt immediately registered the lack of people of color added a great element of humor to the twist. The episode’s standout scene was where Peacemaker and Harcourt argue, with Peacemaker wearing his heart on his sleeve and Harcourt still unable to say how she feels. This scene understood their relationship excellently and emphasized Peacemaker’s growth and flaws. The scenes with the two Vigilantes worked very well, especially considering how often he is brushed aside by the main group throughout the series. Finally, Lex Luthor’s inclusion worked very well within the context of the show. While cameos run the risk of being cheap and lacking substance, Lex’s appearance provided an exciting connection to the larger universe while showing Rick Flag’s desperation. The scene would have worked for Rick Flag no matter who he spoke to, if they were evil enough, so the inclusion of Lex only served to enhance the scene.
This season of Peacemaker has been challenging in many respects, with some episodes feeling contained and climactic and others feeling like they only exist to set up future episodes. “Ignorance is Chris” was compelling and climactic when it came to twists and reveals, but most of the scenes purely served to lead into the final two episodes. Despite everything, this was a great episode, and the way in which it put the pieces in position for the final installments was fun to watch. Even though most of the short runtime was spent waiting for the white supremacist shoe to drop, most scenes were engaging, with the episode having an emotional highlight of the season with Peacemaker and Harcourt.
Rating: 8/10